Matilda

7 x 4 x 2
 
The MINE Series is about human rights. As we grapple with set-backs in the area of women's rights, Matilda, named after Matilda Gage, reminds us how far we have come and how far we have yet to go. My grandmother owned her father's lumber and fuel business in the 1950s. I loved my grandmother to the moon and it is just recently that I have become aware of the what her struggles as a woman business owner must have been. All of my female ancestors were brought up thinking they were "less than." My mother was given the career path of a secretary, teacher, or nurse while her brothers were expected to be doctors or lawyers. My mother even asked her father if she could be a doctor and the answer was no. These actions put my mother in a weaker position as a human being. It is time we become further aware of the how we as women are repressed.  My body my choice. It is just that simple. I am a sovereign being and no one has the right to dictate any decisions over my body. The dolls in this series have a uterus beaded on their fronts with the word MINE beaded on the back. They were my direct reaction to the further destruction of the rights of women that are being threatened by our government. 
 
Matilda hangs on the wall. The brass fringe can be moved around and repositioned.

Materials:
-Antique porcelain doll parts
-Old assorted glass beads and stones, European
-Swarovski flatback crystals
-Contemporary glass beads and stones
-Antique brass chain from West Germany
-Contemporary glass beads from Japan and the Czech Republic
-Antique glass doll eye

All materials were hand placed using a mosaic technique.